1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a connector waterproofing structure.
2. Background Art
Traditionally, a waterproofing connector which is connected between electric wires is loaded in an automobile or the like. For example, a connector is known which includes a female connector and a male connector and which is formed by making the two connectors fitted together. The female connector has a tubular inner housing which is formed with a cavity which can accommodate female terminals and a tubular outer housing which surrounds the inner housing. The male connector has a tubular male housing which is formed with a cavity which can accommodate male terminals.
In this kind of connector, an annular rubber packing is mounted to the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing of the female connector. When the two connectors are fitted together, because the male housing is inserted into a gap between the inner housing and the outer housing of the female connector, and the packing adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing and the inner peripheral surface of the male housing, respectively, water is prevented from invading the gap between the cavities.
However, for this kind of waterproofing structure, because a space to mount the packing to the inside of the female connector is necessary, there is a problem which is that the outer diameter of the connector is increased. In contrast, as a waterproofing structure without using the packing, for example, a structure to prevent water invasion is known (for example, JP-A-2013-229168) in which the inner surface at the back side of the female housing is provided with a resin sealing plate which has resilience, and when the two connectors are fitted together, the tubular distal end in the fitting direction of the male housing abuts against the annular sealing plate of the female housing over the entire periphery.
Further, a waterproofing connector which is loaded in an automobile or the like and connected between electric wires is constructed by making a tubular male housing, which is formed with a cavity which can accommodates male terminals, fitted inside a tubular female housing which is formed with a cavity which can accommodate female terminals. For example, by making an annular waterproofing rubber which is mounted onto the outer peripheral surface of the male housing adhere to the inner peripheral surface of the female housing, a gap between the opening ends of the cavities of the two housings is watertightly sealed (for example, JP-A-2013-051071).
According to the waterproofing structure of JP-A-2013-229168, when the male housing is abutted against the sealing plate, an excessive load may occur in at least one of the two housings. For example, when the male housing is pressed against the sealing plate while a dimensional error above a predetermined level occurs in one housing, and a foreign object or the like attaches to the gap between the male housing and the sealing plate, the male housing deforms plastically beyond the elastic limit, and waterproofness may drop.
The present invention is made in view of such a problem, and the first object of the present invention is to provide a connector waterproofing structure which can improve waterproofness by preventing the plastic deformation of the connector when the housings are fitted together, and which enables the downsizing of the connector.
For the connector described in JP-A-2013-051071, under a long time severe condition, the waterproofing rubber thermally expands, and may jump outward from the gap between the housings. When, for example, high pressure washing water or the like is blown against the waterproofing rubber which jumps outward in this way, the exposed waterproofing rubber may be rolled up by the water pressure or may be damaged to drop out from the connector. In this case, it is concerned that a water invasion space is produced at the waterproofing rubber which is between the housings, and the waterproofness drops.
The present invention is made in view of such a problem, and the second object of the present invention is to prevent the waterproofness drop of the connector due to the washing of high pressure water.
For the connector described in JP-A-2013-051071, the waterproofing rubber deteriorates over time due to long time use, and waterproofness may drop. Under the high temperature conditions, for example in summer, the waterproofing rubber which thermally expands may jump out from the gap between the housings, and when high pressure water for washing is blown against the waterproofing rubber, the waterproofing rubber may be rolled up, and the internal waterproofing rubber may be damaged, leading to a waterproofness drop.
Further, for the above-mentioned waterproofing connector, the pressure in the cavities may become a negative pressure due to a temperature difference from the outside temperature or the like. In this case, when the waterproofing rubber deteriorates over time or is damaged, water may invade the inside of the cavities from the outside of the connector.
The present invention is made in view of the above problems, and the third object of the present invention is to prevent water from invading inside even if the pressure inside the cavities becomes a negative pressure.
For the connector described in JP-A-2013-051071, because an accommodating space of the waterproofing rubber is necessary in the gap between the male housing and the female housing, there is a problem of upsizing the connector. Under the high temperature conditions, for example, in summer, the waterproofing rubber which thermally expands may jump out from the gap between the housings, and when high pressure water for washing is blown against the waterproofing rubber, the waterproofing rubber may be rolled up, and the internal waterproofing rubber may be damaged, leading to a waterproofness drop.
The present invention is made in view of the above problems, and the fourth object of the present invention is to prevent the waterproofness of the connector from dropping when high pressure water is blown at the time of washing with the high pressure water.